DEL TORO 10 Those who look at the finger will think of his leader’s concession – who, instead of coming past him, pushes him all the way to the line shouting “go! go!” – but what is projected onto the moon is the image of that final corner in which Del Toro gets past Skjelmose, opens a small gap on the others, and goes on to win. If, many kilometres further north, there comes a victory by one of the chosen ones that leaves us beside ourselves, further south in Spain we savour the success of a rider who is only at the beginning of his journey. That makes two stage wins between the Giro and the Tour, both earned by putting distance into his rivals through a downhill bend.
TARRAGONA 9 I have seen, especially at the Tour, some decidedly ugly places from which stages have set off. Tarragona does not belong in that category – quite the opposite, in fact: it moves straight into the bracket of the finest stage starts I have ever seen.
UAE TEAM EMIRATES 8 They are a problem – a big one – for everyone else. Not that there was much doubt about it, but the way they control the race and thin out the group through McNulty and Yates, the one-two on the line, and the easy understanding between Pogačar and Del Toro all confirm their superiority.
BREAKAWAY MEN 7 They deserve a mention, being the first escapees of the 2026 Tour: Frank van den Broek, the first to crack with cramp after finishing the Giro third from last with a wrecked shoulder; Felix Engelhardt, recent winner of the German national championship, who has been flying again, like in his under-23 days, ever since growing the moustache; Alex Molenaar, a Dutchman from Barcelona, racing on home roads and taking Caja Rural, at its first Tour in history, onto the podium by pulling on the polka-dot jersey. A mention too for Baptiste Vistroffer, the most anticipated of the day’s escape artists. First to jump, he is brought back. Then, when the three go clear, he tries again, but cannot make it across and sits up. We will see him again, perhaps as soon as today.
JOHANNESSEN 7 In a stage where the big names keep watch on one another, making the day sleepier than expected, with everyone dulled by the suffocating heat and the pace set by UAE, the stronger of the two Uno-X Mobility twins is the only one to try anything, picks up a few points on the climb, and finishes sixth on the line.
VINGEGAARD 6 He does not have the cunning of the UAE duo, nor the explosiveness that has coursed through Evenepoel’s muscles for the past few seasons, nor even, at times, a particularly handsome face, but for all that, on a day that was far from happy for his team — euphemism: a 3 for Visma, with Jorgenson and Kuss blowing up completely and Piganzoli losing a minute — he still finishes fourth, defends the yellow jersey, gives away only the bonus seconds, and stays right there, waiting for the high-mountain days that suit him better.
EVENEPOEL SEIXAS 5 Remco finishes third on the stage – perhaps I’m being unfair, but yesterday was a stage for him, and yet he stayed put, let a gap open, then stitched it back up. Maybe he could have tried a little earlier and perhaps got more out of it. Maybe even won. Paul, meanwhile, continues to quarrel with the Tour. Mechanical problems, chasing, lack of communication: he gets stuck behind while his team-mate Benoot goes to the front to set the pace in the finale. His Tour is being shaped by these small uncertainties too.
TIBERI 4 One of the great enigmas of the new millennium. What has become of that rider who once looked bound for Grand Tour podiums, who at the start of the season won an uphill stage in the UAE against rivals who now, at the Tour, seem to belong to another category? And why go to France instead of trying a race that is simpler in several respects, such as the Giro d’Italia?
LIPOWITZ 3 True, these are not the finishes that suit him best. True, he is a diesel who needs the mountains, long efforts, sustained exertion, but in the meantime, over two days, he has already lost 45 seconds to the yellow jersey and 30 to his team-mate Evenepoel.
PUNCHEURS 2 The pace is high, but steady, and at the front there are almost only the general classification men left, yet it was fair to expect a little more from riders such as van der Poel or Grégoire.
JÉGAT VAUQUELIN 1 Top ten last year, but this season their form is a long way off, for various reasons. They are already well down in the general classification, but their Tour can still be rebuilt – and rebuilt brilliantly – through the breakaways.
DIRECTION 0 Because the way they keep showing that liberal capitalism has triumphed over everything feels like sheer overkill. Did we really need, while so many people at home were suffering through the heat and a soporific stage, to be shown the marvellous Catalan beaches over and over again?